Space Travel News
DEMOCRACY
Syria since Assad's overthrow: latest developments
Syria since Assad's overthrow: latest developments
by AFP Staff Writers
Damascus (AFP) Dec 15, 2024

It has been a week since Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other rebels toppled longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad.

Here are some key latest developments in Syria:

- UN envoy in Damascus -

United Nations special envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen called for "justice and accountability" in Syria, rather than acts of "revenge".

Arriving in Damascus, he also called for "increased, immediate" aid to the war-ravaged country.

- French diplomatic team due -

A French diplomatic mission will travel to Damascus on Tuesday to reestablish contact after the fall of Assad, acting Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.

He told France Inter radio the four-strong team would "retake possession of our real estate" as well as "establishing initial contact" with the new authorities.

A Qatari delegation was due in Syria on Sunday to meet transitional government officials for talks on aid and reopening its embassy.

Unlike other Arab states, Qatar never restored diplomatic ties with Assad after a rupture in 2011.

- Turkey would provide military support -

Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler said Ankara was ready to provide military support to Syria's new Islamist-led government if it is requested.

He said the new leadership should be given "a chance" and that Turkey was "ready to provide the necessary support" if needed, in remarks reported by state news agency Anadolu and other Turkish media outlets.

Turkey reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday, 12 years after it closed early in Syria's civil war.

Ankara has been a major player in Syria's conflict, financing armed groups in the northwest and maintaining a working relationship with HTS.

- US in contact with HTS -

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed Saturday that Washington had made contact with Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels, despite previously designating the group as "terrorists".

"We've been in contact with HTS and with other parties," Blinken told reporters after talks on Syria in Aqaba in Jordan.

He did not elaborate on how the contact took place but when asked if the United States reached out directly, he said: "Direct contact -- yes."

Blinken said that the easing of US sanctions on Syria imposed during Assad's rule would depend on "sustained action" by the rebel-installed interim government to meet the expectations of the international community.

- Main players agree common approach -

In Aqaba, participants in the talks with Blinken issued a joint statement calling for a Syrian-led transition to "produce an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government formed through a transparent process".

It stressed "respect for human rights", the importance of combating "terrorism and extremism" and demanded that "all parties" cease hostilities in Syria.

- HTS says Syria too exhausted for war -

HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani criticised Israel for its incursion into southern Syria this week but said his country was too exhausted for fresh conflict.

"The Israelis have clearly crossed the disengagement line in Syria, which threatens a new unjustified escalation in the region," he said

Israeli troops entered the UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights last weekend in a move the UN said violated the 1974 armistice agreement.

Golani said that despite the violation, "the general exhaustion in Syria after years of war and conflict does not allow us to enter new conflicts."

- Schools, universities reopen -

Some children went back to school to school in Damascus on Sunday, attending class for the first time since Assad's overthrow.

One school employee said that "no more than 30 percent" of pupils were back in class, but "these numbers will rise gradually".

Universities also reopened, but staff say it may take time to return to normal.

burs-srm/ami

Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
DEMOCRACY
Israel, Turkey urged not to jeopardise Syria transition as new rulers call for victory celebrations
Berlin (AFP) Dec 11, 2024
Germany's foreign minister on Wednesday urged Israel and Turkey not to jeopardise a peaceful transition in Syria after the ousting of president Bashar al-Assad in an Islamist-led rebel offensive. "We must not allow the internal Syrian dialogue process to be torpedoed from the outside," Annalena Baerbock told a Berlin press conference. "Neighbours such as the Turkish and Israeli governments, which are asserting their security interests, must not jeopardise the process." Since Assad's downfall ... read more

DEMOCRACY
DEMOCRACY
Mars dust storms may be linked to warming weather patterns

Liquid on Mars was not necessarily all water

Purdue scientist expecting new world to reveal itself to Mars rover

China's Tianwen-1 probe reveals new insights into Martian internal gravity waves

DEMOCRACY
Artemis in Motion Listening Sessions

NASA pinpoints cause of Orion heat shield char loss

NASA delays crewed Artemis II launch to April 2026 after heat shield issues

NASA delays crewed lunar landing to 2027

DEMOCRACY
NASA marks ten years of Hubble's Outer Planets Survey

Magnetic tornado is stirring up the haze at Jupiter's poles

Uranus moons could hold clues to hidden oceans for future space missions

A clue to what lies beneath the bland surfaces of Uranus and Neptune

DEMOCRACY
Discovery of a planet with a shifting gas tail

Unveiling a hydrogen-controlled nano-switch in electron transport proteins

Scientists examine role of iron sulfides in life's origins at early Earth hot springs

Towards independent robotic exploration of ocean worlds

DEMOCRACY
Undeterred by Friday the 13th, SpaceX plans pair of launches

China Long March 8A prepares for first flight in January 2025

NASA's crew capsule had heat shield issues during Artemis I

Equatorial Launch Australia shifts focus to new Queensland spaceport site

DEMOCRACY
China boosts Lunar and Mars mission capabilities with advanced Long March rockets

Long March 12 set for inaugural launch from Hainan space center

China inflatable space capsule aces orbital test

Tianzhou 7 completes cargo Mission, Tianzhou 8 docks with Tiangong

DEMOCRACY
Lucy completes key Earth gravity assist maneuver

It's an Asteroid, it's a Comet, it's the Geminids Meteor Shower!

MIT astronomers find the smallest asteroids ever detected in the main belt

NASA research uncovers expanding dark comet populations

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.